The Maze RunnerReview

Living in a post-Hunger Games world, it's getting more and more difficult to tell all these young adult movies apart. That's especially the case for The Maze Runner, helmed by first-time director Wes Ball and based on James Dashner's post-apocalyptic novel trilogy. The film follows Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), a young man who wakes up to find himself in a community of other guys welcoming him to the "Glade" -- a large expanse of land completely surrounded by a concrete maze. Thomas and his cohorts have no memory of their past or where they are. All they know is they have to get out.

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And that's about the extent of Maze Runner's originality. Following that, the movie falls prey to tropes made popular by YA dystopian fiction: a milquetoast lead whose destiny overrides any semblance of personality, side characters with inexplicably weird names, and a dignified villain played by a respected, older actor (in this case, Patricia Clarkson). Additionally, the Maze is filled with deadly perils, including "Grievers," the robot-like monsters that keep the boys from straying too far from the Glade.

Basically, the first half-hour of the movie is a giant info dump where Thomas -- nicknamed "Greenie" -- gets to know the other guys in the camp. There's Alby (Aml Ameen), the group's appointed leader; Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), who's relegated to exposition duty for most of the film; and Gally (Will Poulter), the forceful rule follower.

Here, Thomas learns the ins and outs of the Maze, along with its goofy, unending terminology. This includes the "Runners," which are the unlucky chosen few who run the Maze by day in search of a way out. A dude called Minho (Ki Hong Lee) leads the Runners, and quickly befriends Thomas. Eventually, Thomas becomes a Runner too, and -- surprise, surprise -- he makes unprecedented discoveries that could lead the boys to freedom. Adding a wrench in their plans, the powers-that-be send the first girl to the Glade, Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), which spurs Thomas to double his efforts.

In terms of acting, The Maze Runner is actually pretty well-cast, with Brodie-Sangster and Ameen as notable standouts. The rest of the boys also do a good job of performing naturalistically and in a way that evokes the inherent fear of the unknown.

Actually, the one weak link of the group is O'Brien. As Thomas, he's about as bland as they come, and he doesn't have the screen presence to pull off a good protagonist. (Personally, I would have liked to see Brodie-Sangster in the role.) Scodelario is also pretty unconvincing as Teresa, but that's more to do with her poorly feigned American accent. To be fair, her character is woefully underdeveloped and reeks of The Smurfette Principle.

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Really, the best parts of Maze Runner are in the Maze itself, where Thomas and the others uncover the majestic but terrifying dangers within. Coming from a visual effects background, director Wes Ball has a good eye for sublime imagery and fast-paced action. He's then able to pair that with the more horrific elements, establishing a mood that perfectly captures the terror and wonder of the Maze.

No question, Ball is a solid director and artist, so it's a shame he's tied to such underwhelming source material. In fact, the filmmaker's viral short "Ruin" (available to watch here) -- which got him the gig on this film -- probably would have made a better feature than the Lord of the Flies clone we got in Maze Runner. It's also worth noting that the last 20 minutes of the movie are all just setup for a sequel, which leaves the whole thing feeling even more hollow.

The Verdict

Similar to other recent YA entries like The Giver and Divergent, Wes Ball's The Maze Runner doesn't quite come into its own, relying mostly on sci-fi and dystopia tropes to tell a conventional story. While Ball's direction is confident and some of the performances are strong, the movie itself is laden with exposition and terminology and doesn't really pick up steam until halfway through the movie. By that point, the story shifts into setup for a sequel, which doesn't help matters.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.